1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to carriers adapted to be worn by an adult in order to support and carry an infant or young child. More particularly, the present invention is directed to an infant carrier having a bib attachment which is adapted to be disposed in a conventional bib position or in a sun-visor position to provide shade for the infant.
2. Description of the Related Art
As is well known to parents of infants or young children, shoulder-supported infant carriers are extremely popular and commonly used to transport an infant or young child. Shoulder supported infant carriers as currently known in the art come in a wide range of designs and styles. A common attribute of these carriers is that they offer “hands free” operation, and allow the adult wearer to carry the infant while performing other activities. One currently known infant carrier is a frame-type carrier which typically supports the infant on the back of the wearer. Currently more popular than frame-type carriers are frameless or soft-sided carriers which typically support the infant on the front or chest of the adult wearer. In this regard, the soft-sided carriers allow for more interaction between the wearer and child.
Though soft-sided carriers provide certain advantages, they oftentimes possess certain deficiencies which detract from their overall utility. One such deficiency lies in the absence of a structure which protects the wearer or carrier from oral discharge (i.e., vomit, drool, etc.) from the infant. This deficiency is magnified by the fact that when the child is placed within the carrier, the wearer tends to move and be active, which may increase the likelihood that the infant will vomit, especially shortly after a meal.
Another deficiency lies in the absence of a structure which provides shade for the infant during use. Shortly after birth, young children tend to have sensitive skin, which may easily burn or be damaged by direct exposure to sunlight. As such, conventional infant carriers may leave the infant at risk of suffering from sunburn.
A further deficiency relates to the adaptability of the infant carrier to accommodate the specific size of the wearer. It is understood that the infant carrier may be used by a wide range of infant care providers (i.e., mother, father, grandparents, aunts, uncles, friends, etc.). As such, it is desirable that the infant carrier be easily adaptable to conform to the size of the various infant care providers which may wear the infant carrier.
The present invention addresses and overcomes these deficiencies by providing an infant carrier which is easily adaptable to fit snuggly on a wearer, wherein the infant carrier includes a bib which may be oriented in a conventional bib position to protect the wearer and infant carrier from oral discharge from the infant, as well as a sun-shade position to provide shade to the infant. These and other advantages attendant to the present invention will be described in more detail below.